Seen from below with the blue water above and a cloud visible this ray seems to be flying. While in reality they are known to leap from the water, this one is under several feet of water. Stingrays have gotten some bad press, but they are not aggressive and their stinging barbs are used in self-defense only. They are found in tropic and sub tropic waters. Swimmers in areas where sting rays are prevalent learn to do the “stingray shuffle”, a practice of dragging ones feet while wading in shallows to avoid stepping on a stingray. This is when most stings occur, as a barb makes contact after the ray is stepped on.

A turkey vulture in Myakka River State Park in Sarasota, Florida. The park is most known for its alligators, but has a huge population of vultures, though most are black vultures. I'v used this shot on birthday cards along with a line like "a little birdie told me it was your birthday and he was meeting you for lunch". I am known for a weird sense of humor.

Anhingas, locally known as "snake birds" are often referred to as comorants, by our northern friends. It would be very unusual to see a comorant in Florida. These birds spend a lot of time under water looking for food, sometimes just their neck and head are visible making them look like a snake. After diving for fist they will often be seen drying their wings in the sun.